On April 17, Pat McMakin, director of studio operations at Belmont’s Ocean Way Studios, opened the facility’s doors to a wide variety of musicians, engineers, composers and film directors, all with the task of recording the scores of four independent short films produced and crafted from local film departments at Watkins and Vanderbilt University. The event, the Student Scoring Initiative, brought together students, engineers, directors, musicians and composers at Ocean Way.
Scott Hallgren, a local multiple award-winning composer and producer as well as a professor at Tennessee State University and the Nashville Film Institute, was the organizer of the initiative. With the support of the Nashville Composer Association, Hallgren assembled a predominantly Belmont student orchestra to play the scores that Belmont students composed.
The Nashville Composers Association sent a newsletter to all student and amateur composer members inviting them to apply for the opportunity to compose scores for the four short films. Of the 29 applicants, four were chosen, including Belmont students Melanie Parobek and Christopher Gentle.
Hallgren recruited Grammy-nominated composer Carl Marsh to conduct the student orchestra and gathered four professional musicians to serve as mentors to the students and assist them with the techniques required in a professional recording process.
Belmont student violinist Danika Lukasiewicz said, “This opportunity has taught us invaluable recording techniques in a professional environment and has given us the chance to network with professional musicians.”
In the engineering room, McMakin led four Belmont student engineers through the tediously difficult process of recording a full orchestra. Hallgren said the most difficult part was syncing up the orchestra’s tempo with the actual content and movement of the film. In the studio, the film directors sat in the control room and viewed their films while listening to the orchestra play, making sure every note and measure aligned with their envisioned result. The entire process was truly reliant on collaboration.
Not only did Hallgren intend for students and professionals to collaborate in the studio, he aims to advance the practice of film scoring in Nashville. By providing a location and network where musicians, directors and composers can join forces, film scoring is brought out of the home studios into a multifaceted, collaborative environment. In conjunction with Belmont’s blossoming film minor, the Student Scoring Initiative could provide yet additional opportunities for students to participate in the entertainment industry.
Belmont Students Compose, Record Film Scores
Event Planning Class Brings Awareness to Organ Donation
Susan Barnes’s event planning class hosted Operation ORGAN-ize on April 26 to bring awareness to the campus about the importance of organ donation. More than 150 students attended the event that featured games, prizes and food. The event was planned as a class project in cooperation with Tennessee Donor Services. April is Donate Life month.
Journalism Student Honored at PRNDI Conference
Savannah Packard has been chosen to receive one of the 2011 PRNDI (Public Radio News Directors Incorporated) Scholarships. This scholarship includes a $500 award, as well as airfare, ground transportation, hotel and registration to the 2011 PRNDI Conference (June 23-25 in Arlington, Va.).
Savannah has been interning with Nashville Public Radio where she wrote, researched and produced a feature story called, “The Future of Texting 911 in Tennessee.” This story aired across the state of Tennessee and also was picked up by the Associated Press. This story is also one of the student award winners in this year’s PRNDI student contests.
Awalt and Osborn Honored as Faculty Emeriti
On April 27, the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Humanities and the Department of Philosophy hosted a reception in honor of two retiring faculty members: Dr. Mike Awalt and Dr. Ginger Osborn. Both professors are becoming faculty emeriti of Philosophy after many years of distinguished service to Belmont University.
Mike Awalt joined the Belmont faculty in 1970 and received the Chaney Distinguished Professor Award in 1985; the Ernest Boyer International Award for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology, in 1997; and the Case Tennessee Professor of the Year in 2000.
Ginger Osborn joined the Belmont faculty as an Adjunct Professor in 1986 and became a full-time faculty member in 1990. She was the 1996 recipient of the Chaney Distinguished Professor Award. Her work in classical philosophy on friendship has been widely recognized, as has her translation of Plato’s dialogue, Lysis.
These two esteemed faculty members have more than 65 years of service to Belmont.
Belmont Students Help in Japan Relief Events
On March 26 several Belmont students braved the cold and rain to participate in this year’s Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival as volunteers. Sponsored by the Japan America Society of Tennessee, Nissan and the Consulate General of Japan in Nashville, the Cherry Blossom Festival, renamed the Japan Relief Event, raised money for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Faculty from Belmont also participated in the event. Dr. Cynthia Bisson (History) served on the Cherry Blossom Committee as chair of the Ginza Marketplace area. In addition, Belmont’s Asian Studies program and its Director, Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn, contributed to the Tennessee Tomodachi Fund sponsored by JAST to help with the relief efforts in Japan.
In addition, a Bake Sale for Japan Relief was held today in the Beaman Student Life Center. International student Nozomi Takasu organized students in the Art Department for this event and obtained sponsorships from International Education, Honors, History, Art and Asian Studies. The students made origami cranes to give away at the sale. All donations will go to Japan Relief.
Speech and Debate Team Places Sixth in NFA Division
The speech and debate team went to the National Forensics Association (NFA) national tournament last week and won sixth place in its division. The competition was held at Illinois State University, April 15-18. Eric Schoen advanced to quarterfinals in Poetry and Nicole Bright advanced to quarterfinals in After-Dinner Speaking. Each event had more than 200 participants.
Students Present Belmont Mythbusters
On April 18 the Society of Physics Students (SPS) organization presented a convocation titled “Belmont Mythbusters: The A-Team Movie.” This was an entertaining analysis by the physics students of various stunts in the movie to show what physics confirmed or busted.
Chemistry Student Awarded National Science Foundation REU
Professional Chemistry major/mathematics minor Rebecca Newton (’13) was recently awarded a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Syracuse in Syracuse, New York for Summer 2011. The REU includes a $4,500 stipend, campus housing for the summer and other benefits. While in New York, Rebecca will have the opportunity to carry out Organometallic Chemistry research, attend research seminars and present her results at a culminating poster session. REU programs are very competitive and support active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. Rebecca is a sophomore Pathways Scholar, Engaged Scholar and received the 2010 Freshman Chemistry Award. For more information on this REU, please visit http://www-che.syr.edu/reu/.
Barnes Judges PRSSA Competition
Susan Barnes was invited to judge the 2011 Public Relations Student Society of America’s annual Bateman Case Study Competition April 9 in New York. She joined a team of judges to review 49 case study entries from universities across the country. Three finalists were chosen to present their cases in May in New York. Among the honorable mention winners in the competition was a team from Lee University coached by Kevin Trowbridge, who will join the Belmont public relations faculty in the fall. The Bateman competition is the most prestigious competition sponsored by PRSSA.
Bishops Speaks at Nashville Sertoma Club Meeting
Andrew Bishop, a sophomore social entrepreneurship major in Susan Barnes’s Mass Media and Society class, was the featured speaker at the Nashville Sertoma Club’s weekly meeting on April 5. Andrew is founder of Philanthroteach, a non-profit that matches community need with the talents and skills of university faculty throughout the Nashville area. He was invited to speak to Sertoma through Tower Creative Consultants, the student-run public relations firm that Susan Barnes advises. She also serves on the board of Philanthroteach
